The President escalated the space program and set the goal to send an astronaut to the Moon by the decade’s end. Although publicly congratulating the Soviet Union on achieving such a milestone, President Kennedy quickly sought ways to demonstrate American superiority. Although the United States matched the feat with its own satellite a few months later, tensions grew when the Soviets reached another first by launching Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12, 1961. Space was another place for the two nations to demonstrate technological superiority and leadership.Īmericans were shocked when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957, intensifying fears that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in technology and arms. However, it is helpful to introduce the concepts of the Cold War and space exploration by showing students a map of the United States and the former Soviet Union and images of the Moon and the first moonwalk.Įarly space exploration was fueled, in part, by the Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. This is a stand-alone lesson and does not require any specialized knowledge or skills. Identify key information about the “Space Race.”.Identify the temporal structure of a historical narrative or story.

Place historical events in temporal order.How can a time line develop historical understanding? Students use an informational text and a time line to examine how Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union turned early space exploration into the “Space Race.” Subject Area : US History, The Cold War, English Language Arts This lesson is drawn from a more extensive lesson entitled Race to the Moon! Kennedy Presidential Library and Museumĭownload this lesson plan, including handouts, as a pdf. Buzz Aldrin name licensed from Buzz Aldrin Enterprises. Developed by Polar Motion & Slitherine Ltd. All other marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. and their Logos are all trademarks of Slitherine Ltd. Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager Road to the Moon, Slitherine Ltd. The many options available ensure every game will be different and that there is huge replay value. For example, instead of sending men to the Moon using the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR) approach used by Project Apollo in the late 1960s and early 1970s, you will be able to rewrite history and use either the alternative Gemini Earth Orbit Rendezvous (EOR) or Gemini Direct Ascent (DA) schemes. You are not limited to missions that did launch, as the game also allows you to try out many concepts that were planned but that never left the drawing board. Some examples include the X-15 and the PKA space planes, the Sputnik satellite, the Mercury, Voskhod, Apollo and Soyuz manned spacecraft and the Mars Viking probe. You will be able to develop dozens of programs. Alternatively, all three space agencies feature a Sandbox mode, which provides a more open-ended experience and allows you to try out different approaches without any political pressure. In the GSA campaign, you will need to address the requests and short-term goals issued by government and is geared towards those players who prefer a game experience focused on exploration instead of competition. You can also lead the Global Space Agency (GSA), a fictional space agency that combines programs from all the major space agencies in the world. In campaign mode, you will be able to play as the Director of either NASA or the Soviet Space Agency in order to beat the other side to be the first on the Moon. The game features both a campaign and a sandbox mode.

Carefully manage your budget by opening programs, spending R&D funds on improving the hardware, recruiting personnel and launching space missions in this realistic turn-based strategy game. Take charge of the US or Soviet space agencies - your duty is be the first to the moon. It is the mid-1950s and the race for dominance between the US and the Soviet Union is about to move into a new dimension: space.

If you have any interest in space exploration and the events that transpired during the Race to the Moon, this is a game you just do not want to miss! Air Force combat pilot (66 missions in Korea) and NASA astronaut, who took part in the first Moon landing mission and became the second human being to walk on the Moon. To verify its accuracy and authenticity, the game has been developed in consultation with Dr. Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager (SPM) is the ultimate game of space exploration. The game features the race to the Moon, the historical event that started in the early 1960s and that ended in July 1969, after the successful completion of the Apollo 11 mission.

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